Do You Edamame?

I try to take certain opportunities to taste new food items.  This weekend, I spied a salad on the restaurant menu that had golden beets and polenta croutons.  I knew and liked the rest of the ingredients in the salad, so that was the perfect time to try two new things I hadn’t had before.  The beets weren’t bad, although I’m not going to be craving them anytime soon, and that might have had more to do with the preparation than the actual beet.  The polenta croutons?  Yum.

Last year, while at a moms’ night out, the restaurant we visited served edamame as a snack in the beginning of the meal.  It was my first time for edamame, and I was hooked.  Addicting little suckers, they’re quick to deshell and pop in your mouth.  Not a strong taste at all, it’s a mild little bite.  I thought the kids might think it was fun to try to get the pods out of the shell, so I kept an eye out for them at the grocery store the next time I went.  They were harder to find than I thought!  (I have since learned that Costco sells them sometimes too, so that’s another good resource)

The first time I put them on the dinner table, I got suspicious glances all around.  I mean, really, they’re green, so it must be a vegetable, right?  And vegetables are sometimes harder sells than they need to be.  I showed them (and The Husband) how to pop the pods out, gave everyone their own small pile and they went to town.  All of them.  One after another popped into their mouths, the piles replenished and the stash quickly diminishing.  Halfway through, I suggested  a contest to see who eats the most.

Guess who won?

Sometimes it’s how you present something. Sometimes it’s how something looks. Or what it’s called. Sometimes, as in this case, it’s the fun factor. Whatever the reason, this is exactly why we have the “you have to try one bite before you make up your mind about liking it or not” rule. They all discovered that edamame isn’t too bad. A little salt sprinkled on the top after steaming them and away we go.

Edamame is a soybean that contains protein and omega-3 fatty acids, so it’s a fun little snack with a nice health kick to boot. So do you edamame?

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